To explain how I went about studying the aspects of the Mormon religion that contain millennial views, I want to include a few ideas about  the topic at hand. The term millennialism was constructed in the second half of this century. “The word millenialism has become synonymous in recent years with American religious history.” (Underwood,1993) It is important to realize this when looking at groups from all cultures. We don't have to get too complex when looking at the Mormon religion, for it was formed in the early nineteenth century in America. But looking at the term millennialism helps to understand the ways of the Mormons. "It is a comprehensive way of looking at human history and an integrated system of salvation."(Leone,1979) It is a type of eschatology, a term derived from Greek for doctring of the last things or end times, and is used to refer broadly to people’s ideas about the final events in individual human lives as well as the collective end of human history.(Underwood.1993)

A religious movement is said to be millennarian when it views salvation as "(a) a collective to be enjoyed by the faithful as a group; (b) terrestrial, to be realized here on earth; (c) total, to completely transform life on earth (d)immenent, to come soon and swiftly rather then gradually; and (e) miraculous, to be accomplished by, or with the help of supernatural agencies.”(Underwood,1993) As you will see in later parts such as the early Mormon's views on millennialism, this can be directly applied to their doctrines that were formed by 1830.
 
 

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